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Aug 02, 2019 (LBO) - Teejay Lanka PLC has made a strong start to 2019-20, reporting excellent top and bottom line growth at group and company level through efficient capacity utilisation, an improved product mix and effective curbing of non-strategic costs.
Sri Lanka’s only multinational textile manufacturer reported group net profit of 453.
7 million rupees and net profit of 376.5 million rupees at company level for the three months ending 30th June 2019, achieving impressive growth of 62 percent and 50 percent respectively in its seventh consecutive quarter of improved sales and profits.
Group profit before tax grew by 61 percent to 581.
6 million rupees and the Group paid 128 million rupees in income tax in respect of the quarter reviewed, an increase of 57 percent over the corresponding three months of the previous year.
Group revenue increased by 1.306 billion rupees or 19 percent to 8.125 billion rupees for the three months, with the benefits of economies of scale from expanded capacity continuing to kick in.
The growth of cost of sales and administrative expenses were restricted to 17 percent and 12 percent respectively, enabling Teejay to record a gross profit improvement of 35 percent and operating profit growth of 58
“These results are particularly noteworthy in the context of rising raw material prices and increases in the costs of other inputs,” Teejay Lanka Chairman Mr. Bill Lam commented. “The cost of utilities and dyes and chemicals continues to increase, stemming from world market prices. Cotton stabilised during the quarter, but the demand for the commodity is on the rise and may impact us adversely in the future.”
Despite these challenges, the Group’s internal measures and the depreciation of the Sri Lankan and Indian Rupee helped curtail expenses, enabling gross and net profit margins to improve to 11.9
percent and 5.6 percent respectively.
At Company level, Teejay recorded revenue of 4.
37 billion rupees for the three months, an improvement of 7 percent, while profit before tax grew by 56 percent to 446 million rupees.
Mr. Lam disclosed that Teejay is continuing with a strong balance sheet and a net cash balance of 4.45 billion rupees, in line with the Group’s strategy of keeping the Company net debt-free, and that a final dividend of 1.
10 ruppes has been proposed to be paid to all shareholders in respect of the concluded financial year.
“Teejay continues its focus on modernisation of its plants by investing in state-of-the-art machinery, which will give higher yields and reduce the impact on the environment by consuming less water and power, upholding our commitment to create sustainable value for all our stakeholders,” he added. “We have seen an upsurge of orders from our strategic customers and vendor partners and this momentum of growth is expected to continue.”
With manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka and India, Teejay is one of the region’s largest textile manufacturers, and supplies fabric to some of the best international brands across the world. Teejay Lanka PLC is a public quoted company with 39 percent of public ownership.
The company is backed by Sri Lanka’s largest apparel exporter, Brandix Lanka which has a 33 percent stake and Pacific Textiles of Hong Kong which owns 28 percent of the company.


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Lava, the Indian smartphone manufacturer, has launched its latest offering, the Lava Agni 2 5G, in India. This new smartphone is the successor to the Lava Agni 5G model that was introduced back in November 2021. The company had been teasing the device extensively, and it has finally made its way into the Indian market. The Lava Agni 2 5G boasts impressive features, including a curved AMOLED display with a high refresh rate and a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 7050 5G SoC. Let’s dive into the details.
Lava Agni 2
Design and Display
The Lava Agni 2 5G features a stunning 6.78-inch full-HD+ curved AMOLED display with a resolution of 2220×1080 pixels. The display comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth scrolling and seamless user experience.
The phone flaunts an ergonomic 3D dual curved design that supports HDR, HDR 10, and HDR 10+. With a slim bottom bezel measuring just 2.3mm, the device sports a 3D glass back design with a matte finish, offering a premium look and feel. The glass back is double-reinforced for enhanced durability and protection.
Performance and Software
Under the hood, the Lava Agni 2 5G is powered by the octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7050 5G SoC, making it the first smartphone in India to feature this processor. The device runs on stock Android 13 out-of-the-box, ensuring a clean and bloatware-free user experience.
Lava promises to provide upgrades to Android 14 and Android 15, along with quarterly security updates for three years. This ensures that users will stay up-to-date with the latest features and security enhancements.
Camera and Storage
In the camera department, the Lava Agni 2 5G sports a quad rear camera setup. While details about the secondary cameras are yet to be revealed, the primary camera boasts an impressive 50-megapixel 1.0-micron sensor, capturing stunning images with rich details.
The phone also features an X-Axis Linear Motor Haptics, which enhances the gaming experience by providing precise and immersive vibrations. As for storage, the device comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of inbuilt storage, offering ample space for storing photos, videos, and other files. It also supports virtual expansion up to 16GB, providing additional flexibility to users.
Battery and Charging
The Lava Agni 2 5G is equipped with a 4,700mAh battery unit that ensures long-lasting usage on a single charge. The phone comes bundled with a 66W wired fast charging adapter, capable of charging the device from zero to 50 percent in under 16 minutes. This means users can quickly juice up their phone and get back to using it without any significant downtime.
Connectivity and Availability
Lava claims that the Agni 2 5G supports 13 bands of 5G connectivity, making it the first smartphone in its segment to offer such wide-ranging support. This ensures users can enjoy fast and seamless 5G connectivity wherever available. The device comes with dual nano SIM support, allowing users to switch between networks easily.
In terms of availability, the Lava Agni 2 5G is available exclusively on Amazon India, starting from May 24 at 10 AM IST. The phone is priced at Rs. 21,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant. However, customers purchasing the device can get flat Rs. 2,000 discount using debit/credit card of major banks.

domain: news


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Google Inc. will allow a "do-not- track" button to be embedded in its Web browser, letting users restrict the amount of data that can be collected about them.
The world's most popular search engine is joining other Web companies to support the anti-tracking initiative, which prevents an individual's browsing history from being used to tailor ads, according to an e-mailed statement today.
"We're pleased to join a broad industry agreement to respect the 'do-not-track' header in a consistent and meaningful way," Susan Wojcicki, Google's senior VP-advertising, said in the statement.
Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., is getting into the initiative as the Obama administration unveiled plans to provide consumers more control over their personal information online. Congress should enact a privacy bill of rights for Web users, the administration said in a report released today.
Revelations about potential privacy vulnerabilities during the past year have spurred calls from regulators and lawmakers for better protections for data online and on internet-connected mobile devices.
Last month, Google announced plans to unify privacy policies for products, including YouTube videos and Android software for smartphones, saying that it would simplify conditions that users agree to.
Google and Facebook, the world's largest social network, are among the companies facing scrutiny over their handling of consumer data used to power the online-ad market, which is projected to reach $39.5 billion in the U.S. this year, according to eMarketer Inc.
The White House report sets broad principles for personal data, including giving consumers control over what data are collected and how they are used, providing understandable privacy policies, and handling information in a secure manner. The Commerce Department will meet with companies and privacy advocates to develop voluntary standards for businesses based on the principles.


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Customers are getting the opportunity to pay cattle price and Hasil through bKash at the cattle markets under the ‘Smart Bangladesh, Smart Haat’ initiative taken by Bangladesh Bank and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).
Under the pilot project “Smart Bangladesh, Smart Haat”, cashless bKash payment is available for purchasing sacrificial animals in 6 cattle markets at Gabtoli, Basila, Aftabnagar, Vatara, Kawla and Uttara Sector 17, said a press release.
bKash agents are present at the cattle markets to ensure seamless cash out service for both buyers and sellers.
For the first time, Hasil management has also been digitised to ensure a full-fledged digital payment service for leaseholders of the cattle markets, buyers and sellers.
Customers will be able to easily pay the Hasil by scanning bKash QR code placed at different places of the cattle markets.
To facilitate cattle sellers and leaseholders with bKash account, arrangements of opening ‘Personal Retail Account’ (PRA) are available at the cattle markets.


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After an exclusive release of the Nike Vaporfly Elite Flyprint 3D, Nike is back to release the 'fastest sneakers' as stated by runner, Eliud Kipchoge, in a new colorway!
The Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint 3D is constructed with the first 3D-printed textile upper which offers more breathability. This new colorway spots Purple iridescent colours with a White enlarged Swoosh branding scheme.
After presenting the Flyprint upper to Kipchoge for the first time, things went exactly as one would expect. “I thought these guys were really crazy,” said Kipchoge. It wasn’t until the testing began that his mind changed. “I had to take the shoe, put it on my foot and run on it. You feel like flying when you’re running.”
Stay tuned as the Nike Vaporfly Elite Flyprint 3D is scheduled to release soon!
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Two of Japan's more established streetwear brand, Bape and Neighborhood will be collaborating with Adidas for a collaborative collection that is set to release in 2019! Following a first look at the Adidas NMD TS1 from the collaboration...


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Plenty of Big Brothers keep up with you
Besides credit, they watch checks, driving, insurance and much more
Published 5:30 am, Monday, July 31, 2006
Most consumers know about credit reports that track how responsibly we handle our finances. But there are plenty of lesser-known databases also keeping tabs on us.
And what they report to businesses may be critical to whether we can buy life or homeowner's insurance and at what price. They also may be a key factor on securing a job, apartment or checking account.
"The world revolves around risk assessment. Will you be a good employee? Will you wreck your car? Will you be a good tenant?" said Tena Friery, research director for the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. "Companies going into these relationships more and more want to know as much as they can. These shared databases are just one of the ways they find out about people."
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Luckily, the federal law that mandates free annual credit reports also entitles consumers to a free copy of other reports once a year. And, as with credit reports, consumers have a right to challenge information on the reports to get inaccurate information removed.
Not all consumers are in every database. And it's usually unnecessary to check each report. But when you do need to know what they're saying about you, here's how to find out:
•MIB stores information on 18 million Americans who have applied for individual life, health, disability and long-term care policies in the past seven years. It doesn't collect data from on-the-job group insurance.
About 500 insurers belong to MIB and share information gleaned from policy applications. A report will list illnesses or risky behavior, such as poor driving or playing dangerous sports. Call (866) 692-6901 for a report.
•C.L.U.E. Personal Property and C.L.U.E. Auto reports contain insurance claim information going back five years. Insurers use the databases when someone seeks a new homeowner's or auto policy, not for renewals, spokesman Chuck Jones said.
Both reports are products of ChoicePoint, the giant data collector with a huge data breach last year. For both reports, call 866-312-8076.
Besides correcting errors, you can add positive changes to a report. For example, maybe you no longer have the dog that bit houseguests, Jones said.
•ChexSystems collects negative banking information about a customer, such as frequently bounced checks. It's used by most banks.
A ChexSystems report is a red flag to lenders, and you might have trouble opening a checking account, Friery said. Call 800-428-9623 for a report.
•SCAN Consumer Report gathers data on those writing bad checks at stores. About 90,000 U.S. retailers belong to the network. Call 800-262-7771 for a report.
Victims of identity theft involving check fraud should request ChexSystems and SCAN reports, Friery said.
Hundreds of companies screen prospective employees and tenants. Landlords don't have to tell you the name of the screener, and employers aren't required to do so upfront, Friery said. Still, you can ask and if you get the name, request your report, she said.


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While the market was quick to send shares of Blue Apron lower Monday morning, tech companies file a plethora of trademark applications that don't always lead to actual services. It has worked for over a decade on its Amazon Fresh online grocery delivery service, and last month, agreed to acquire upscale grocery chain Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion in cash.
We live to eat", the tagline for its already-in-circulation line of snack foods called Wickedly Prime. "You be the chef".
The Amazon service plans to focus on "ready for cooking and assembly" meals composed of meat, poultry, fish, seafood, fruit and vegetables, according to the paperwork. And while you may be lamenting Blue Apron's current status as a brand new competitor of Amazon, remember: it could happen to absolutely anybody and there's nothing you can do about it. Amazon didn't immediately return a request for comment. In fact, just days after Amazon filed the trademarks, Blue Apron's stocks plummeted, falling by at least 10 percent (though any correlation is purely speculative). Over the years, it has launched services like AmazonFresh and Pantry.
The kits will primarily consist of grains, rice, noodles, pasta or bakery products, Amazon said.
Shares of the meal-kit delivery company sank as low as $6.51, a 35 percent drop since its initial public offering. But for Amazon, with so many other food delivery initiatives in the works, "this is definitely an experiment, and no one expects it to be the next big thing", Smith says. And while the meal kit category is fraught with problems-including reports of high churn rates as consumers wrestle with food quality, high prices and the reality that even a meal kit requires some preparation-Amazon's announcement is an indication that it could grow beyond its tiny niche among Millennials.


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IITM-Kerala and IBM India have developed a real-time water quality measure system Swatchpaani by leveraging IBM Watson IoT technologies
"What's that? A computer? But it looks like an audio cassette," said Srujan M, 14, pointing at the Raspberry Pi 3 mini computer model which he had not seen before.
Raspberry Pi has announced the launch of the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. The new generation board is faster and more powerful than ever before and comes with built-in wireless LAN and Bluetooth connectivity.
Sandeep Karan, Head- IT Systems & Processes, L&T Technology Services revealed his priorities amid Covid-19, which include remote security and employee productivity monitoring.
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Last week, design and architecture disciples shuttled to dozens of workshops and talks about visual culture. Organized around San Francisco Design Week, which ended Friday, many events are covering emerging technologies like blockchain and augmented reality. But as the festival looks to the future, one of the city’s old-school design treasures, William Stout Architectural Books, offers a refreshingly analog form of discovery: browsing a smartly focused selection of books about design, art and photography.
“There’s only one or two of us left in America that do this,” said Bill Stout, the bookstore’s owner.
Even when architecture bookstores were more common, for many out-of-town visitors who have an interest in design, the store is an essential stop. “It’s like a mecca,” said Steven Holl. Now a celebrated architect, he was also the store’s first employee.
Over the years the bookstore has had several outposts in the Bay Area. Since 1984, the main store has been located among the leafy streets and red-brick buildings of Jackson Square, a short walk from the Transamerica Pyramid. Its roughly 25,000 books draw upon an inventory of some 70,000 titles that survey a broad range of visual culture, including gardening, map making, graffiti and graphic design. (The books not in the store can be viewed by appointment at a Richmond warehouse.)
“You go there because it is a collection of the best that is on the market, in print and out of print,” said Pierluigi Serraino, an architect who was recently at the store to sign copies of his new book, “California Captured,” which features archival photography of midcentury architecture.
Compared to a smartphone, which demands constant attention with a never-ending stream of easy visual delights, browsing Stout’s store offers a sense of nourishment.
After you page through a monograph of Mies van der Rohe or set down a book about Swiss graphic design, the shelves flatter you with smart suggestions. Yes, the store hints, you should take home a hardbound copy of “Brutalist Readings.”
Stout offers personalized suggestions, too. “He gets so excited about a certain book and a certain set of plans,” said Holl.
On a recent afternoon, a cashier rang up a book about the German architect Erich Mendelsohn, one of the pioneers of the Art Deco movement.
Stout perked up and dashed the customer toward a small book. In 1968, the art museum at UC Berkeley exhibited several of Mendelsohn’s drawings. This was the original catalog, Stout explained. The customer hesitated, then grinned. “I’ll take it.”
When Stout started bringing books from Europe to San Francisco, selling them became a way for him to share his passion for architecture. “He has picked architecture books as his way to demonstrate his incredible knowledge,” Serraino said.
When the store moved to Jackson Square in 1984, the neighborhood was an architects ghetto, said Stout. “There were probably 50 or 60 offices around here.”
For architects, the store became an essential stop during lunch breaks. Beyond the magazines, journals and books, Stout cultivated a salon-like atmosphere.
Posters advertised events, lectures and book signings. Exhibitions featured the early work of architects who are now well known, including Holl, Frank Gehry and Jim Jennings. Stout also fostered a circle of designers who went on to launch publications, including Pamphlet Architecture and Archetype. He also established a publishing house that focused on West Coast architecture books.
“Especially in the days before the internet, that place was just where every architect met every other architect,” Holl said.
The store continues to hold events, but its essentiality as meeting place has diminished. Today, young designers can find like-minded people, discussions and inspiring work online or through events like Design Week.
Anyone curious about a building, an architect or a movement can also quickly find quality images and articles online.
“Young people don’t buy books,” Stout said. “Not in the way they used to.”
When people do buy books, the bookstore cannot compete with the deep discounts Amazon offers online. But Stout said San Francisco’s local market was never enough to sustain the store.
For years, libraries and scholars purchased from a catalog the bookstore published. Today, an email newsletter and the store’s website allow customers from around the world to search its collection of hard-to-find books.
“It’s a lot more work than it was 20 years ago, and less profit,” said Stout. But money has never been his ambition.
“He doesn’t do this as a job,” Serraino said. “The bookstore is an extension of the love he has for architecture.” For Stout’s peers, the feeling is mutual.
At a ceremony last month in New York, the American Academy of Arts and Letters recognized Stout’s contribution to the culture of architecture. It awarded him its 2018 architecture prize.
Andy Bosselman is a San Francisco freelance writer. Email: firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Shoppers take cover as war looms
THE number of shoppers on the High Street and shopping malls plunged in the first week of March as consumers worried about the economic impact of a war against Iraq, a new survey shows. Retail business information firm Footfall found that shopper numbers fell by 4.6% in the first week of March, compared with the last week in February.
They were also down 6.8% on the same week in March 2001, the biggest year-on-year drop since April 2002. 'This dramatic decrease...backs up the sentiment that shopper confidence is dropping,' said Footfall marketing manager David Smyth. 'As the potential start date of war with Iraq looms closer, it appears that consumers are holding off their spending,' he added.
Consumer spending has been the long been the driving force of growth in the UK economy, but it has been showing signs of weakening in recent months as shoppers face higher taxes, a cooling housing market and growing job insecurity.
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Sainsbury's has announced it will no longer sell Russian diesel at its 315 petrol stations by the end of this year. The supermarket giant made the announcement to show it 'stands united' with Ukraine and its citizens and comes amid pressure from customers.
The decision follows similar action by the company, including stopping the sale of products sourced from Russia, Kent Live reports. Retailers and energy firms are all trying to shake off their reliance on Russia for certain products after the country launched an assault on Ukraine in February. Russia is the third-biggest oil producer in the world behind Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Rhian Bartlett, food commercial director at Sainsbury's, said: “We stand united with the people of Ukraine and have taken a range of steps to show our support – from helping to fund the humanitarian effort on the ground, to removing products from our stores which are 100% sourced from Russia.
“We have been working hard to reduce the amount of diesel we sell which comes from Russia since the early days of the conflict. This is a complex process but we are committed to working together with the rest of the UK fuel industry and Government to support the ban on Russian oil imports, which is due to take effect by the end of this year.”
Diesel and petrol prices continue to climb to new highs, figures show. Statistics from data firm Experian Catalist show diesel prices reached an average of 181.0p per litre on Wednesday, up from 180.9p a day earlier. The average cost of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts on Wednesday was 168.2p. That was up from 167.6p per litre on Tuesday.


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This year, both the (NewerTechnlogy Power2U AC/USB In-Wall Charging Solution) and the (OWC Mercury Accelsior PCI Express SSD) were named as a finalists for the 2012 American Business Awards “New Product or Service of the Year” category.
More than 3,000 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted for this year’s competition in more than 49 categories. Finalists, chosen by more than 140 business professionals, were announced in May, and winners will be announced at a September awards banquet. But YOU can vote on what you feel should be the People’s Choice in these categories, a special honor determined solely by online consumer voting. People’s Choice winners will receive special honors at the ABA ceremony in September.
It’s Easy to Vote
Online voting for the People’s Choice Stevie Awards for Favorite New Products starts today, and will conclude at 11:59 pm ET on August 29.
To vote for the NewerTech Power2U, (click here to register your vote) in the “Favorite New Consumer Electronics” category.
To vote for the OWC Mercury Accelsior PCI Express SSD, (click here to register your vote) in the “Hardware – Computer” category.
Power2U Praised and Proven by Independent Reviewers
While the Power2U only began shipping early this year, it has captured broad praise from highly diverse independent product review sources. Good Morning America called it ‘brilliant’; the Miami Herald named it ‘gadget of the year’; and its easy, under 20 minutes installation time was confirmed by Tech Tilt and Two Shots of Geek. There’s the practical side of Power2U use as well. Well Connected Mom said, “I love it…you can plug in your phone and your tablet along with your toaster oven and coffee maker or electric shaver and electric toothbrush.”
“We are thrilled the Power2U is a Stevies finalist in the Consumer Electronics category and that the judges recognized the convenience this product offers in charging the devices consumers use every day,” said Grant Dahlke, Brand Manager, Newer Technology, Inc. “As the only UL Listed AC/USB outlet, the Power2U exemplifies Newer Technology’s mission to constantly provide the best tech solutions, service, and innovation that consumers demand.”
Accelsior Independent Performance Expert Reviewed
In addition to being named as a finalist of The American Business Awards, the OWC Mercury Accelsior PCI Express SSD has already garnered high praise from performance testing experts, including The MacPerformance Guide which said it offers “…a solution for the ultimate in performance in your Mac Pro or PC, without using up any drive bays”; Bare Feats who called it “A Mac Pro ‘hot-rodding’ option”; and The SSD Review which awarded Acceslsior its Innovation Award.
“We are proud to once again be a finalist in the American Business Awards program, as we think the Mercury Accelsior is a true game-changer, bringing an unrivaled performance boost to any PCIe-equipped computer,” said Larry O’Connor, Founder and CEO, Other World Computing. “This award incentivizes the entire OWC team to continue to raise the bar in product innovation, technical support, and customer service so we can provide our customers the innovation upgrades they need to make the most of the tech they have.”
About the “Stevies”
The American Business Award program, created in 2002 and nicknamed “The Stevies”, is the only business awards program in the United States that honors and generates public recognition of corporate and executive achievements worldwide. The Stevie Award trophy is often called “the business Oscar”, because it is hand-cast and finished in 24-karat gold by the same company that creates the Oscar. The name “Stevie” is taken from the name Stephen, derived from Greek term for “crowned”. Past American Business Award winners have include Apple, Oracle, Hilton Hotels, and AT&T.


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Earlier this year, PQube announced that the original Nexomon will be hitting Nintendo Switch. Well, the wait is almost over!
The publisher has confirmed that the game will be launching on Switch and other major platforms on 17 September 2021. As reportedly previously, this prequel to Nexomon: Extinction will see players catch, evolve and collect over 300 unique Nexomon!
Check out the latest trailer below:
We’ll report back as we hear more in the future. Stay tuned!


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CAD Configurators reduce time to market
FlexsysPAK is a reconfigurable, modular system that can be applied in packaging operations from blister form, fill and seal to cartoning and case packing. 3D Modeling configurators from a number of component manufacturers help in customization. Details... more »
Is your WLAN secure?
As design engineers we tend to thing we automatically have all the bases covered when it comes to taking care of our personal electronics gear. But that may not always be the case, especially where security is involved because it can be such a complex and convoluted business. Details... more »
LSI Logic to acquire SiliconStor
Making its second major acquisition in recent times, LSI Logic Corp. has signed a definitive agreement to buy SiliconStor Inc., a developer of silicon solutions for enterprise storage networks. Details... more »


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March 9, 2016
Will the â€˜Pay Gapâ€™ Between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova Close?
It didn’t take long for advertisers to abandon advertising’s once gold standard for female athletes, Maria Sharapova. The Russian tennis star, one of the highest paid female athletes in the world, earning more than twice the endorsement money earned by Serena Williams, told reporters today that she tested positive for the drug meldonium in January.
Sharapova says she’s been taking the drug for a decade due to health concerns, and did not realize it was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency at the start of 2016.
“We are saddened and surprised by the news about Maria Sharapova,” Nike said in a statement. “We have decided to suspend our relationship with Maria while the investigation continues.”
Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer said it was suspending negotiations with the tennis player about renewing a sponsorship deal that ended in December. Danone, which owns Evian, said it was surprised by the news and would follow the investigation closely.
“The recent admission has already affected her brand ambassador and licensing dollars,â€ says Martin Morse, CEO of the MM Group, which provides financial and business mentoring to elite athletes and high-profile celebrities.
“As more information comes out regarding the exact substance and if there is additional PED’s or other drug use we’ll see further distancing I predict. Corporations now are hyper sensitive to their ambassadorship representatives. The digital age has brought those brands closer to the consumer now more than ever,â€ he adds.
While Williams has always stood in Sharapova’s shadow when it comes to endorsements, she has always been supportive of her Russian rival, saying in a New York Time Magazine story last Summer, “If they want to market someone who is white and blond, that’s their choice…I’m happy for her…There is enough at the table for everyone,” and saying Sharapova showed “a lot of courageâ€ accepting responsibility for her failed drug tests after today’s announcement.
As Sharapova’s fate remains unknown, it remains to be seen if corporate sponsors will use her ‘unseeding’ from the top of the advertising world as an opportunity to level the playing field and put the Â No. 1 Williams on top of the advertising heap.
“From a money standpoint, she’s worth at least three times more from an advertising standpoint [than] what she’s getting,â€ says Morse. “As far as Serena now being able to close the licensing gap with Sharapova, however, I don’t see any change happening there at all. The same reason there is a gap in the first place will not change as a result of the recent Sharapova news. If Nike wanted to close the $30 million contract difference, they would have years ago,â€ he adds.
If history is any guide, Williams like other women trailblazers in sporting and other arenas, will have to shatter her own glass ceiling, and demand the pay that her brand and record warrant.


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India plans to set up seven large textile parks in the country in three years to boost exports of readymade garments and textiles. Each of these textile villages will be established on more than 1 thousand acres of land. World class infrastructure will be built there. Along with this, the country is planning an incentive scheme of Rs 10,073 crore for technological development in the textile sector and production of man-made fiber.
On the first day of this month, on the day of the 2021-22 budget announcement, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a project to build six large textile parks across the country. The issue has come up in various top media outlets in India.
According to a report in The Economic Times , the Indian Ministry of Textiles has proposed to the Finance Minister to create seven integrated textile zones and garment villages across the country to double the investment in the industry to ৩০ 30 trillion by 2025-26. There is talk of uninterrupted water, electricity and other infrastructure and laboratories for research.There is nothing to threaten Indian investment. But we should open our eyes. We do not have a long-term master plan for export. However, whatever we want, the government is going to help as much as possible.Fazlul Haque, former president, BKMEA
Meanwhile, after the news of India’s huge plan for the export of readymade garments and textiles was published, Bangladeshi entrepreneurs have become worried. They believe that if their aggressive investment is properly implemented, there is a risk of losing the export market.
BKMEA vice-president Mohammad Hatem said, “The way India is investing in the textile and garment sector is definitely a threat to Bangladesh. Because, even though India is lagging behind us in garment exports, they are very strong in the textile sector. “Where India is planning for the long term, we are busy with the short term,” he said. There is a tendency to take action according to the problem. In order to survive in the competition, it is necessary to plan for a period of 10 years as well as to remove obstacles to business.
In 2016, the Union Cabinet of India approved a special package to overtake Bangladesh in garment exports within three years . At the time, their plan was to increase textile and garment exports to at least হাজার 4.3 trillion by 2018. But India did not go ahead as planned, nor was it able to overtake Bangladesh in the export of readymade garments. However, from 1995 to 2000, India was ahead of Bangladesh and Vietnam in textile and garment exports. Then the country fell behind. In 2003, Bangladesh and in 2011, India lagged behind in exporting garments made from Vietnam.
According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), India exported পোশাক 1.6 billion worth of garments in 2019. In the same year, the country exported the same amount of cloth worth 1,600 crore dollars. On the other hand, in 2019, Bangladesh exported 3,400 (actually ৭ 3,306 crore) and Vietnam তৈরি 3,100 crore worth of ready-made garments.
Badsha Mia, director of BTMA, an association of textile mill owners, said India was doing a lot to get to the front line even though it was lagging behind. He said Indians are urging Bangladeshi entrepreneurs who already import cotton from India to invest. Badshah Mia thinks that if India’s investment is properly implemented, it will be a threat to Bangladesh.
It is not that Bangladesh has not made a long-term plan. In 2015, BGMEA, an association of garment industry owners, formulated a roadmap to increase garment exports to হাজার 5 trillion by 2021. It emphasizes on construction of infrastructure, uninterrupted supply of gas and electricity, completion of renovations, creation of safe working environment for workers, exploration of new markets and ensuring fair prices of garments on priority basis. At the beginning there was a lot of discussion about the roadmap but later all the parties gradually became silent. Due to the coronavirus challenge, garment exports fell by 16 per cent to ৭ 2,748 crore last year.
Although it is the second largest exporter of garments in the world, Bangladesh has not been able to develop the planned industrial city for the sector. A garment village is being set up on 500 acres of land at Bangabandhu Industrial City in Mirsarai, Chittagong. However, initially only 36 institutions are going there. Apart from the garment sector, a handful of companies are also setting up factories in Mirsarai. But they are going in isolation.
Former BKMEA president Fazlul Haque said, “There is nothing to threaten Indian investment. But we should open our eyes. However, whatever we want, the government is going to help as much as possible. But if we don’t plan long-term soon, we won’t be able to move forward after a while. ‘
Fazlul Haque further said, ‘The business of garments of the future will be based on artificial fibers. But we are still covered with cotton cloth. So far we have no clear plan for the production of synthetic fibers.


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N.HOOLYWOOD x CONVERSE ADDICT
N.HOOLYWOOD have teamed up with CONVERSE ADDICT again for three new versions of the Converse Chuck taylor. First out is the white denim pair which you can see above sporting a vibram sole and a custom N.HOOLYWOOD tag on the tongue. These are now available at N.HOOLYWOOD stockists.
There's also an all black suede pair that will be available exclusively at their new GINZA SIX shop starting this Thursday April 20th. Not much info on the third and last pair yet but it will be a chuck taylor high in a classic black/white colorway made in collaboration with Japanese stylist Tsuyoshi Noguchi with a release date on May 5th.


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If you are an avid gamer, you probably have heard about NVIDIA launching DLSS 2.0 for many popular titles. This recent announcement from NVIDIA took the gaming world by storm. When I got to know about the launch, I wanted to see what the fuss is all about. Thankfully, NVIDIA arranged a Zotac GeForce RTX
OPPO Reno6 Series smartphones have been opening doors to a premium smartphone experience for its users. Offering amazing value for money, Reno series smartphones have created a strong fanbase of their own. So, as soon as OPPO declared the launch of Reno6 Series smartphones, I was waiting to get my hands on a review model.
In the face of this worldwide epidemic, technology is the primary difference for companies. The evolution of corporate strategies and customer preferences has led to an extraordinary increase in technology integration for more efficient operations. In its annual TMT Predictions 2021 report, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (DTTILLP) highlighted this change in preference/demand. According to
Maxima announced the launch of its 'Max Pro X4' range of smartwatches on Amazon India website during Prime Day 2021. The X4 has been carefully crafted to meet the expectations of the customers in these challenging times. Considering the aspirations of Millennials and Generation Z, the X4 is built with amazing style aesthetics featuring 1.3"
Bollywood is the fashion, glamour, and style hub of the world. Many celebrities in the industry are fashion-forward and want to inspire their fans with their looks. In the eyes of their followers, Bollywood actresses are more than just superstars; they are a symbol of style, beauty, and fashion. We know that a handful of
July seems to be the month of good news for PC gamers. NVIDIA announces a large number of new DLSS games. DLSS is an image booster that converts low resolution images to higher resolutions, offering an immersive gaming experience without compromising on framerate. NVIDIA DLSS has been introduced in more than 55 top tier games.
TCL is revolutionizing the television industry in India. Since its inception in 1981, the company has brought a slew of products offering modernistic features. The recent product to join its C-series pack is the TCL 4K Mini-LED C825. The product comes with futuristic features such as QLED, 120 HZ MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) for
Swords, plasma-blasters, or an automatic gun, whatever be the weapon of choice, gamers will slay it this time with the power-packed latest 11th Gen Intel Core processor. Intel has always been a trendsetter with its cutting-edge technology, and it has been catering to video gamers from the very beginning. However, after a long wait, gamers
Dukaan, a SaaS platform for online stores, has announced that it clocked a growth of 110 per cent GMV leading to US$ 115 million annualised GMV over the last 30 days, placing it as an early market leader in India's e-commerce enablement space. Dukaan began monetising in early May and has clocked its first revenue


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Despite missing its profit projections for the sixth consecutive quarter in January, as well as failing to meet its 2020 delivery guidance, Tesla did manage to exceed its revenue expectations. However, nearly one-fifth of last years’s revenue stemmed from China, but now that the EV maker is facing regulatory scrutiny as well as a growing wave of impending recalls, Tesla’s cozy relationship with the communist country may soon be in peril.
According to a detailed financial report released on Monday, Tesla’s Chinese sales increased from $2.97 billion in 2019 to $6.66 billion in 2020. The carmaker’s sales in China accounted for approximately 21% of the EV company’s total revenues of $31.54 billion. Compared to the US, which is Tesla’s largest market, sales levels increased from $12.65 billion in 2019 to $25.21 billion last year.
Amid the escalating US-China trade war, Tesla began to deliver vehicles produced at its Shanghai Gigafactory in 2019, in a bid to increase its presence in the country’s lucrative auto market. The Chinese government has been supportive of Tesla’s ambitious EV plans at the factory, which also became the first wholly foreign-owned car plant in China. In fact, Tesla’s relationship with the communist government was becoming so friendly, that the automaker was even exempt from a 10% purchase tax, and will be able to enjoy lower taxes until the end of 2023.
However, since the beginning of 2021, Tesla has been at the forefront of several scandals, that are now threatening to derail the automaker’s relatively easygoing relationship with China. According to a report by Bloomberg, Tesla was recently summoned by several Chinese regulators regarding its allegedly poor quality control issues, following an onslaught of consumer complaints regarding unexpected accelerations, battery fires, and over-the-air software update failures. In response to the warnings, Tesla agreed to abide by Chinese regulatory law, and ensure that its vehicles meet quality and safety measures. The car company also agreed to investigate the consumer complaints.
In addition to the recent regulatory obstacles, Tesla’s strong 2020 sales results do not appear to be replicating in the new year. According to the China Passenger Car Association, the EV manufacturer’s sales levels suffered a significant drop, as less than 15,500 vehicles were sold in January, compared to the 23,800 units sold in December. As a result, several of Tesla’s competitors, including Nio and Xpeng, were able to narrow the gap in the country’s electric car market.
Information for this briefing was found via Tesla, Bloomberg, and the China Passenger Car Association. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this organization. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.


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Gama spoke to Mark Napier, Show Director, Gulfood, ahead of the latest edition of the Middle East tradeshow.
What should manufacturers do to be successful in the current economic climate?
Innovation is the buzz word for most areas of manufacturing these days as new advanced technology tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics come into play. The food and beverages (F&B) industry is no exception and is perhaps even more susceptible to transformation as it is subject to ever-changing consumer trends and regulatory scenarios.
This is one reason why we have introduced the Gulfood Innovation Summit, where the hottest topics now impacting today’s F&B industry will be explored in full. The Summit is a must for anyone serious about remaining relevant in an increasingly competitive industry.
So, to be successful in the current economic and social climate, manufacturers must be ready to embrace change – and fast! To listen to customers and respond – quickly! And to take vibrant and modern approaches to marketing – effectively! One thing is certain, trends are changing fast and keeping abreast is essential – and there’s no better way of doing that than exhibiting and visiting at Gulfood and engaging or networking across our expansive, value-added programme.
Read more in the next issue of Gama News.
Gulfood is a leading trade event for the food and drinks sector, held annually at the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirates. The 2019 edition, the show’s 24th, is taking place from 17th to 21st February and is set to welcome 5,000 exhibitors across a range of categories, including beverages, dairy, fats & oils, health & wellness, pulses & grains, meat & poultry and world food.


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A self-described "maverick", Benson has worked in eCommerce since before it existed as a term, holding CIO and IT Director positions at five internet pureplays.
One of the largest changes Benson made at Rentalcars.com was a reorganisation into small, agile product teams, with a tighter integration between IT and business. He described it as "a major cultural shift."
Entrepreneur Sukhi Jutla graduated into the banking industry, but re-trained herself to enter the challenging world of technology
Without a single mention of "having it all." Except that one
Merger will create the largest food delivery company outside of China
Nationwide opens Digital Innovation Centre in London with plan to hire 750 tech specialists to support £1.3bn IT spending boost
Nationwide pushed into opening technology centre in London in a bid to tap the specialists it needs for digital transformation
With more categories and more entries than ever, the 2019 event will be the biggest yet


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Why is this business suddenly so profitable, considering the economy is still recovering and everyone talks about fears of food inflation? Because it's a niche market catering to a consumer attracted to the animal's history, the fact that there are no hormones involved, and the meat's high protein, low fat content.
This week at Flocchini's Durham Ranch, the thermometer consistently dips below zero degrees, but these animals have been surviving such temperatures since long before humans arrived. But the industry is facing what some might call a crisis in supply. "I would call it a challenge, not a crisis," says Flocchini. There's not enough bison to provide enough meat to meet demand. His association is trying to recruit more ranchers into raising bison. The live animals cost more to buy than cattle, but they're cheaper to raise. Another barrier to entry, females don't have calves until they're three years old, compared to two years for cows. On the other hand, they'll continue producing calves "up into their '20s."
Flocchini also says the brucellosis affecting bison in Yellowstone Parkis contained to that area only, and he brags his vet bills are cheaper than if he was raising cattle.


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Police are searching for at least three men wanted in the kidnapping and robbery of a jewelry store owner in the Philadelphia suburbs.
They're also looking into whether there's any connection to a heist at Bixler's jewelry store in South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh Co., in December.
The latest ordeal began around 7 p.m. Thursday when three, possibly four men, armed with handguns, forced their way into the victim's home on Wooded Way in Tredyffrin Twp., Chester Co., police said.
The men bound both the store owner and his wife and ransacked the couple's home, police said.
The victim told police he was then forced to drive the men to his jewelry store in East Norriton Twp., Montgomery Co., Shuler's Jewelers, where he was robbed of an unknown amount of merchandise.
The men fled in the store owner's car before police were called to the scene around 8 p.m., officials said.
Police are asking for the public's help in locating that car, described as a white Volkswagen Passatt sedan with Pennsylvania license plate DJM-0696.
"We will aggressively pursue this case in conjunction with other partner law enforcement agencies to bring these criminals to justice,” said Anthony Giaimo, superintendent, Tredyffrin Twp. Police Dept.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Tredyffrin Twp. Police Dept. at 610-647-1440.
Neither the store owner nor his wife was physically injured during the ordeal, police said.
Police in South Whitehall Twp., Lehigh Co., said they have shared information with Tredyffrin police about a robbery at Bixler's jewelry store in December.


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NADA Dispatch 2: Trust, Transparency, Inventory Efficiency and EVs
Beyond the record-setting profitability dealers achieved in the past two years, there’s another blessing that hasn’t received anywhere near the same level of attention. The blessing came in the form of record-setting customer satisfaction.
Earlier this year, Cox Automotive’s Car Buyer Journey study showed that after reaching a high of 72 percent in 2020, buyer satisfaction related to their shopping experience dipped to 66 percent due to inventory shortages and high purchase prices. Meanwhile, 75 percent of survey respondents said they were highly satisfied with their dealership experience.
These numbers likely result from the pandemic-related push among dealers to more fully embrace digital retailing tools and transparency as they worked hard to capture and engage customers, and make deals. The high satisfaction ratings also illustrate the growing understanding among dealers that doing business their way, instead of the customer’s preferred way, isn’t necessarily the best recipe for long-term success in today’s retail market.
I was reminded of the Buyer Journey findings following several conversations with dealers at the NADA convention today about what might be considered a bit of backsliding among dealers in the current market. The backsliding relates to digital retailing and new vehicle prices.
On digital retailing: Some dealers shared that while they may want to satisfy and serve customers who engage their digital retailing tools looking to purchase vehicles, they also have customers effectively “bidding on cars in the showroom” or “waiting to buy cars when the transport arrives” with more inventory. In some cases, the customer on the lot gets more attention than the customer online, and the latter doesn’t get the opportunity to buy the car they want.
On new vehicle pricing: There’s a debate among dealers as to how much they can rightfully mark up new vehicle prices beyond the MSRP in the current environment of relatively strong retail demand and constrained inventory supply. Is a 5 percent mark-up OK? 10 percent? 15 percent? Dealers selling vehicles above MSRP share that the practice is OK because customers are aware supplies are limited and they’ll get top dollar for their current vehicles if they sell or trade them in. Meanwhile, other dealers want no part of the debate, and refuse to ask for more than MSRP. The dealers include Adam Arens at Patriot Subaru in Saco, ME, John Bergstrom of Bergstrom Automotive, Neenah, WI, and Rick Niello of The Niello Company, Sacramento. Each told me at NADA that they disagree with the position of their markup-minded peers.
The conversations about digital retailing and MSRP markups give me pause. Together, they strike me as threats to the buyer satisfaction gains dealers achieved over the course of the past two years—gains that ultimately arrived because dealers gave customers reasons to trust them. Maybe the opportunism of the current moment will pass quickly. Maybe buyer satisfaction won’t suffer. I hope that’s the case. I also know that, if satisfaction sags, dealers who kept the press on digital retailing, and avoided the MSRP mark-up temptation, will be in the best place.
Two other quick take-aways from the convention floor:
Inventory inefficiency. A dealer visited the vAuto booth looking for help to right the ship in his used vehicle department. The department holds a five-month supply of used vehicles and the inventory water level is on a steady rise. Our Performance Managers at NADA helped the dealer understand what he already knew—you’ve got to get out of those cars quickly and take the pain. The dealer’s situation wasn’t necessarily unique, but his level of inventory inefficiency was higher than I’ve seen in some time.
EVs. NADA offered multiple workshops and sessions to help dealers prepare for what one industry analyst dubbed a “tsunami of supply” of EVs that will eventually arrive at dealerships. EVs are certainly on the minds of many dealers, particularly as their factory partners pledge to commit varying levels of EV production capacity. Nonetheless, I’d submit that for many dealers, EVs aren’t necessarily top of mind. “We’ll worry about them when we start seeing the cars,” a fixed operations director for a three-store group in the Southeast told me. “Right now, I’m more worried about keeping my customers happy today so we can expect them tomorrow.”
All in all, it was another great day at NADA. Like most everyone here at the convention, my feet and I are looking forward to the finish line.


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Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been forced to respond to calls for stricter food labelling and inspection of food imports, following a spate of hepatitis A infections suspected of being linked to contaminated frozen berries.
But it is not certain that either measure or other government action could have prevented the current contamination incident. The primary responsibility lies with the suppliers.
At this moment the public is still waiting for scientific results from laboratory tests on what exactly caused the infections. The only evidence so far is that all cases of infections are linked by the consumption of frozen raspberries imported from China by one Australian supplier.
The likelihood is that a contamination of what currently looks like a limited scale was caused by protocol or management failure relating to personal hygiene at the harvesting or processing stage, rather than systemic failure such as contaminated water supply that would affect larger batches of produce.
Government intervention works best to identify systemic issues such as chemical residues which can be picked up by routine inspections, but is less effective when dealing with smaller scale contamination.
What standards does China have in place?
Both the Australian and Chinese governments have measures in place to detect and prevent food contamination. China has different food safety systems for domestic food and exported food. Export food safety standards are much more stringent than domestic ones. Food exports are overseen by the ministry-level General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and its provincial branches. AQSIQ requires that exported food meet domestic Chinese standards as well as those of the importing company and country.
AQSIQ can enforce radical changes in China’s food export policies. In 2002, for example, a major change in the procurement system for vegetable exports was made after spinach exported to Japan was found to contain excessive amounts of chemical residues. Chinese export firms were restricted to sourcing vegetable products from registered large-scale farms specialising in exports.
The laboratory test currently under way will give an indication whether government failure is to blame or whether this was an isolated incident that was unlikely to be picked up by a government level inspection regime. If this was an isolated small-scale incident, it is the responsibility of the supplier to ensure that this cannot happen again.
The risk of small-scale contamination is high if one considers what degree of enforcement and monitoring is required to ensure that, for example, all fruit handlers have constant access to hygienic toilet and hand-washing facilities. For good reasons suppliers concentrate their processing on a small number of locations that can be fully supervised.
The foreign influence
China’s food processing industry for exports was led and mainly developed by foreign-financed agribusiness. In the early days, foreign agribusiness companies from Japan and Taiwan, for example, provided local farmers with complete packages of production materials including seeds, pesticides and technical assistance. Foreign companies bring in not only technical skills but also managerial skills and advanced management systems.
For Australian farmers this case of food contamination is a reminder that the very strict Australian food regulations protect their position in global markets, not least the Chinese market, and that any incident can have major consequences.
Australian producers have secured a reputation as reliable suppliers of clean and safe food. Australian fresh berries and other produce are at the apex of the Chinese food pyramid as products of unquestioned quality. At the second level of quality are Chinese food products destined for export and supervised by AQSIQ, and at the next level are products under the domestic regime of food supervision which has just been declared a government priority for 2015.
China’s fruit and vegetable exports will continue to grow globally. China is moving away from low value added manufacturing to high value added sectors. Despite being labour intensive, fruit exports have a high added value, and have grown rapidly in China during the last few years. While only a small percentage of domestic production is exported, it is a sizable amount compared with export volumes of other countries.
In 2013, China’s total fruit product export exceeded US$4 billion. Major importing countries include Thailand, Malaysia, Russia, Japan and the Netherlands. Exports of fruit to Australia were relatively small at around 1% of the total volume of fruit exports.
Australian and Chinese fruit exports are linked although they occupy different market segments. Australia has been a successful food exporting nation, with a competitive advantage in high premium agricultural produce. On one hand, Australia is renowned as a producer of premium food and wine from its clean water, clean air and clean soil. On the other hand, Australia’s strong domestic food processing industry which can manage food production and processes safely and effectively has earned Australia global recognition for safe agricultural products.
Globalising Australian agricultural services firms which specialise in areas such as implementing process safety management systems, supply chain management, data management solutions and computerised decision support tools have ample opportunities in improving safety performance and practices for their Chinese suppliers when extending their supply chains into China.
Taking Australian management and agricultural expertise to Chinese suppliers is also the most reliable and efficient way to secure the safety of food imports, as it is quite likely that incidents such as the frozen berry contamination are best prevented by active cooperation and supervision at managerial level.


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Machinery maker Tongtai Machine and Tool Co Ltd (東台精機) on Thursday said it plans to launch a technical center in Thailand next month, as the company makes more efforts to expand its footprint in Southeast Asia.
“Tongtai has been doing business with local customers [in Thailand] for more than 20 years,” a company official said by telephone. “The new facility should attract more customers there.”
The official said the company is scheduled to hold an opening ceremony for the Bangkok-based center on Nov. 3.
The center will showcase Tongtai’s benchmark products and provide high-value-added solutions especially the automotive and motorcycle industries, said the official, who asked not to be named.
Tongtai did not disclose the amount of the investment. The company currently operates technical centers in Taiwan, China, Switzerland and Malaysia, according to its Web site.
Taiwan and China accounted for about 60 to 65 percent of the company’s sales last month, other Asian markets contributed 5 to 10 percent, and Europe and the US about 25 to 30 percent.
Headquartered in Kaohsiung, Tongtai is the world’s second-largest maker of processing systems for printed circuit boards, behind Japan’s Hitachi Via Mechanics Ltd. The company also provides computerized numerical control machines and five-axis horizontal machining centers to customers from Asia and Europe.
The company said it plans to expand into the aerospace industry, eyeing long-term growth potential in the sector. It is one of the key suppliers of Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (漢翔航空), Taiwan’s largest civilian and military aerospace manufacturer.
Tongtai on Thursday reported sales for last month grew 10.42 percent year-on-year to NT$1.01 billion, with cumulative sales in the first nine months of the year rising 3.9 percent annually to NT$6.93 billion, thanks to improving customer demand in the automotive industry.
NOTABLE SHIFT: By 2030, 50% of all laptops would be assembled in Southeast Asia, while Taiwan would still mostly focus on research and development, a report said Global laptop and desktop computer supply chains are expected to shift significantly away from China in the next 10 years, a Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute (MIC, 產業情報研究所) report said. By 2030, only 40 percent of global laptop production would remain in China, said the report, which was released on Thursday. “The reshuffling of the global supply chain will be one of the most important trends in the next 10 years,” the institute said in the report. “In the long run, key component makers will follow laptop assemblers in moving out of China.” The Taipei-based institute predicted most key component makers
NO VIRUS BLUES: A SEMI Taiwan official said that the virus does not slow down the global semiconductor industry’s investment in manufacturing equipment The production value of the nation’s semiconductor industry is expected to grow 16.7 percent this year from last year, outpacing the global industry’s 3.3 percent growth, industry association SEMI said yesterday. That would help Taiwan safeguard its second spot in the global semiconductor market with a production value of more than NT$3 trillion (US$102.73 billion), SEMI Taiwan president Terry Tsao (曹世綸) told a media briefing in Taipei for the Semicon Taiwan trade show beginning today. The global semiconductor industry’s production value is expected to increase to US$426 billion this year, SEMI said. In terms of semiconductor equipment investment, equipment billings from Taiwanese firms
Intel Corp has received licenses from US authorities to continue supplying certain products to Huawei Technologies Co (華為), a company spokesman said yesterday. Washington has been pushing governments around to world to squeeze out Huawei, saying that the telecom giant would hand data to Beijing for espionage. From Monday last week, new curbs have barred US companies from supplying or servicing Huawei. This week, the state-backed China Securities Journal reported that Intel had received permission to supply Huawei. China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯國際), which uses US-origin equipment to make chips for Huawei and other companies, last week confirmed that it had sought
Merck Group Taiwan yesterday said that it plans to invest substantially on expanding its fab in Kaohsiung’s Lujhu District (路竹) to better serve its local customers, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電). The company said it plans to expand its production space by 50 percent in the next five years and its workforce by about 40 percent, Merck Group Taiwan managing director Dick Hsieh (謝志宏) told a media briefing in Taipei. Hsieh declined to disclose investment details, but said that the latest investment would exceed the total amount Merck has invested in Taiwan over the past few years. Those investments would be


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The luxury goods retailer recorded a 4.2% rise in comparable revenue in the first quarter of 2018, which the company attributed to its digital first strategy and new technology investments.
Lululemon Athletica Inc. is entrusting the new role of brand creative director to well-known art director R mi Paringaux.
Anglo American s diamond unit De Beers has ordered a new $142 million diamond mining ship as part of its strategy to grow its offshore operations, the firm said on Tuesday.
Nordstrom has partnered with The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to bring a unique assortment, including beauty, accessories and home decor, from MoMA s Design Store to the retailer s [email protected] shop this holiday.
Online shoppers in Leeds and Manchester can now benefit from Asos same-day delivery option as the service launches for the first time outside London ahead of Black Friday and the festive season.


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Qualcomm, Pico and ZeroLight Showcase Boundless XR Wireless Technology
Virtual reality is headed for a wireless future. Increasingly, the tethered experience based on cables will be phased out in favor of the next-generation wireless experiences. One technology that will be key to unlocking this wireless future is 5G connectivity which promises super high bandwidths and low latency visuals.
Qualcomm is set to demonstrate its own wireless technology during the wearable technology conference Enterprise Wireless Technology Summit (EWTS) held in Dallas. The demo will be in collaboration with the auto-rendering service provider ZeroLight and the VR eyewear manufacturer Pico.
Qualcomm first introduced the “Boundless XR” technology in the spring of this year. It refers to a proprietary WLAN streaming technology in a 60GHz network (802.11ad) for the Snapdragon-based virtual reality headsets. The Boundless XR technology works in various standalone XR devices and the company is planning to fully capitalize on the upcoming 5G connectivity era to push its technology to hardware manufacturers.
Qualcomm has partnered with VR headset maker Pico Interactive and ZeroLight to publicly demonstrate its Boundless XR wireless streaming technology during the conference which promises to “untether” PCs by relying on wireless connectivity either through 5F or Wi-Fi.
The technology works on a concept similar to that of Intel’s WiGig solutions for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive headsets. Boundless XR for PCs makes use of a 60-GHz Wi-Fi connection which enables it to share Windows PC-generated content with any Snapdragon-powered virtual reality headset. In today’s demo, a Pico headset prototype was used in displaying a Cadillac vehicle customization tool by ZeroLight in such a way that the user is able to tweak life-sized virtual reality versions of Cadillac vehicles. Users are even able to walk around these virtual vehicles.
Boundless XR technology gives users what they have always wished for from the Oculus Quest headset. It offers a dual mode that allows for both PC VR and standalone VR headset usage depending on whether the user is close to a PC or a fast Wi-Fi connection on the move. Oculus chief technology officer has stated that the company is still experimenting with ultra-fast Wi-Fi streaming functionalities and that this option is not yet off the table. In the near-term, Qualcomm is aiming to realize ubiquitous streaming with 5G. However, until such a high-speed network is universally available, users will still have to rely on PC VR, with or without a cable.
The demo at the EWTS also used the local computer for rendering but in the near future, the aim is to shift the processing onto a 5G edge computing infrastructure the result of which will be an environment where it will be possible to render the enterprise-class graphics at the network’s edge while at the same time providing the low-latency responsiveness required for virtual reality experiences.
Qualcomm and Pico have created a split-rendering solution that can utilize either a local or edge PC to carry out the heavy computing tasks while leveraging on the Snapdragon chip for the adjustment of the viewpoint of the user’s position.
The split-rendering mode will outsource most of the CPU-intensive tasks while the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip in the virtual reality glasses will adjust the user’s field of view. The combination of a local and decentralized computation should provide users with low latencies for the XR applications while at the same time maintaining the quality of the graphics as if it were a purely local computation.
The Cadillac customization tool by ZeroLight made for a perfect solution with which to demonstrate Pico’s latest innovations and developments which it will be rolling out into the market before the end of the year. Through the use of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 chip alongside a 60 GHz access point, the team has been able to realize a very high level of realism in its content rendering as seen in the Cadillac image above.
The three companies expect that moving their rendering from local computers to the edge will radically boost the enterprise demand for large-scale XR implementations. The computing is performed in the cloud and there isn’t the need to have multiple local large computers on the client’s site which are not only costly but also energy-intensive. Users will simply need headsets and a wireless connection to get high quality and powerful VR rendering. Eliminating the cords (tethered connections) also allows for more flexibility and portability in use: the users can walk freely in all kinds of physical spaces that have been established by businesses or organizations for AR or VR experiences.
Qualcomm will also be launching an Enterprise Program today that is geared at helping other companies speed up their adoption of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies in their businesses. This program will be launched alongside the Boundless XR demo. The launch will give qualified members access to early insights on Qualcomm’s upcoming hardware and software, offer them industry insights and also give them connections to customers. Companies interested in learning about the new technology can check it out at the Enterprise Wireless Technology Summit in Dallas. The event concludes today at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel.https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2019/09/18/qualcomm-pico-and-zerolight-showcase-boundless-xr-wireless-technology/https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Boundless-XR-600x298.jpghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Boundless-XR-150x90.jpgComputingTechnologyVirtual reality is headed for a wireless future. Increasingly, the tethered experience based on cables will be phased out in favor of the next-generation wireless experiences. One technology that will be key to unlocking this wireless future is 5G connectivity which promises super high bandwidths and low latency visuals. Qualcomm...Sam OchanjiSam Ochanji[email protected]SubscriberVirtual Reality Times - Metaverse & VR


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The economy has taken a toll on the best intentions of moms to feed their children more fruits and vegetables, research from the Produce for Better Health Foundation reveals.
âThe economy has impacted how people think of fruits and vegetables,â said Elizabeth Pivonka, president of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, Wilmington, Del.
The report, a compilation of research from 2006 through 2009 on Gen X moms, showed positive movement between 2007 and 2008 in measuring the intentions of moms to feed their children fruits and vegetables.
Those intentions took a hit in the 2009 survey, Pivonka said.
âWe believe and the research firm we are working with it is largely due to the economy,â Pivonka said.
For 2009, 69% of moms surveyed said they intended to purchase more fruits and vegetable for their families in the next three months. That percentage was down from 76% last year.
Likewise, 79% of moms in 2009 said they wanted to include a greater diversity of fruits and vegetables for their meals, down from 85% in 2008.
âThey are worried about keeping their job and having enough money to feed their family, let alone feed them healthy foods,â Pivonka said in early November.
The 36-page report said that more than 50% of consumers report knowing that five servings of fruits and vegetables is recommended, but their behavior is not consistent with meeting those expectations.
In fact, this is the first year in the four-year history of the survey of Gen X moms that observed a decrease in fruit and vegetable consumption.
In 2009, fruit consumption dropped 12% from 2008âs numbers and vegetable consumption was down 6%, a PBH news release said. The decline in consumption was especially noted for lower-income households.
The survey showed that self-reported daily consumption of fruits and vegetables declined from 4.8 servings to four servings for households with income lower than $50,000. For households with incomes above $150,000, self-reported consumption increased from 5.6 servings to 5.8 servings.
âThe recession is having a significant negative impact on the attitude and behavior of lower-income mothers regarding fruits and vegetables,â the report said. Lower income moms self-reported a decline in fruit and vegetable consumption and the importance of a healthy diet in 2009, the survey said.
Still, most moms believe their families fall short in fruit and vegetable consumption. The survey revealed that 57% of moms in 2009 reported their families eat too few fruits, while 63% of moms said their families donât eat enough vegetables. Those statistics are slightly higher than 2006, when 51% of mom felt their families didnât eat enough fruit and 59% believed their families fell short in vegetable consumption.


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Greystripe is all proud to announce a 200% growth, month over month for its “iAds-like” iFlash advertisements for iPhone. According to the press release, this huge spike in ad bookings comes on the heels of the iAd announcement.
As you probably know, Apple will allow developers to include rich-media ads in their apps. Greystripe, on its end, has been been delivering such ads on the iPhone platform for over 18 months now.
The rich-media network currently holds a 75% market share of the full screen rich media mobile market. Over the past 2 years, they have served over 2 billion full screen rich media impressions, reaching 14 million unique monthly users in the U.S.
And despite the fact that Apple’s entrance to the market will definitely increase competition, Greystripe believes the whole market will grow, hence many players, not just Cupertino folks, will benefit.
And in case you wander, Greystripe’s “iFlash Custom” ads deliver high user engagement rates, which reach 2 to 5% CTR on average, with 15-30+ seconds of user engagement.


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Argentina has negotiated a new inflation-fighting attempt: regulating prices of nearly 200 supermarket staples, scheduled to go into effect January 1, the Commerce Department said Friday. The deal was reached with different chambers and pretends to keep prices unchanged for twelve months.
The move echoes a 60-day price freeze on mass market supermarket items last February that failed to slow the country's heavy inflation.
We agreed on a basket of major consumer products, Argentine Commerce Secretary Augustin Costa told reporters at a press conference, reporting on the accord between the Economy Ministry and the big supermarket chains and their suppliers.
So far, some 175 products, including meat, fruits, vegetables, beverages, cleaning and sanitary products are on the list, which should ultimately grow to 200 items.
Costa said the list represents two-thirds of what a modest household consumes. He said the government would ensure prices are marked in accordance with the agreement.
Chinese supermarkets -- which are common, especially in urban areas -- have not signed the agreement, though the government said it hopes to include them soon.
Unlike this year's two previous price freezes, this new measure affects suppliers as well as supermarkets. The year-long freeze will take effect on Jan. 1, and prices may be revised during the course of 2014.
It's basically a voluntary price agreement between the national government and the sector's main actors, Economy Minister Axel Kicillof said. It's a voluntary agreement on prices because we know that controls imposed on the private sector and price freezes imposed on the private sectors aren't successful.
Most of the goods affected by previous price-freezes were not sold in supermarkets.
The main supermarkets operating in Argentina, Latin America's No. 3 economy, include units of Chile's Cencosud , France's Carrefour and the United States' Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
Argentina has seen soaring inflation over the last several years, though the IMF accuses the country of underplaying it. Official estimates of inflation are around 10%, while private institutes put the figure at around 27%. Argentine inflation is Latin America's second-highest after Venezuela's.
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Moves which are guaranteed to help the black market thrive.Dec 21st, 2013 - 11:05 am 0
You cannot fix prices in the face of heavy inflation, because all that will happen is that the shelves will empty.
Does the Argentine government not recall what happened in Soviet Russia when they fixed prices? Rows of empty shelves in the super-markets. Except for the goods that no-one could afford to buy.
This will help the smugglers to make even greater profits as they circumvent the price controlled goods, when they cannot be purchased through shops, because the shops cannot afford to buy them.
All fixing prices does is force supermarkets out of business and the ones that manage to stay open do so with empty shelves.Dec 21st, 2013 - 12:20 pm 0
You can't take inflation out of the supply chain and as the supermarkets exist at the end of the supply chain you are essentially just killing supermarket for no good reason and making products unavailable to the consumer. It's a very stupid policy.
Everyone's costs are increasingly rapidly thanks to inflation and the poor old business are making less money each day until they reach a negative position.
Things disappear from the shelves everyday. Just plain gone. And the government is so brain dead that they don't realize that the supers just raise prices on other things to make up for the loss on the frozen products. Maybe its time to freeze wages instead of giving 25% increase every other day. Hell, maybe its time to freeze the government....Dec 21st, 2013 - 12:24 pm 0


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It’s World Vegan Day! This year, the number of people who call themselves vegans tripled, and more than half of Americans say they’re trying to eat less meat. 51% of chefs celebrated all this plant-based bliss early by adding vegan items to their menus, bringing 13% more business to those chefs willing to take the plant-based plunge.
According to a recent report on food tourism, Los Angeles and Berlin are some of the most vegan-friendly cities in the world. Yes, there are vegan restaurants everywhere (Excited?! I know) but what sets many restaurants apart is their ability to provide vegan substitutes for traditional dishes.


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With currently 89 participating rental partners in seven countries, Rent-A-Ride is the largest motorcycle rental platform in Europe. By year end, BMW Motorrad aims to expand it to include more than 100 rental partners in 12 countries. By consistently expanding the rental partners and participating countries, the goal for 2021 is to become the worldwide leader in this segment of motorcycle rental.
At www.rentaride.com customers can reserve a virtually new BMW motorcycle and, if necessary, rider equipment with just a few clicks, to go on a ride with friends or to take a bike out for a thorough test ride. The motorcycles are explained in detail by on site at BMW Motorrad partners and handed over in a relaxed atmosphere. If a long distance journey is currently too hazardous for you, you can rent your dream bike from Rent-A-Ride in a flexible and uncomplicated way and go on a motorcycle discovery tour.
The Rent-A-Ride platform will be continuously expanded in the existing markets of Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Norway, Austria and Thailand. Further RENT A RIDE stations will be available this year in the USA and four other European markets – Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Romania.


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- 3 min read
Sim swap fraud victim sues BSNL, bank, wins refund of nearly Rs 10 lakh
BSNL Bengaluru and the Union Bank of India have been ordered to pay Rs 9.6 lakh to a businessman after fraudsters siphoned off money from his bank account in what was described as a sim swap fraud.
BENGALURU: BSNL Bengaluru and the Union Bank of India have been ordered to pay Rs 9.6 lakh to a businessman after fraudsters siphoned off money from his bank account in what was described as a sim swap fraud.
The national telecom provider was pulled up for issuing a duplicate sim to fraudsters without adhering to Know Your Customer (KYC) norms and the bank for not alerting the customer on time.
Nagarathpet resident Ramesh Kumar has been using a mobile phone with a BSNL sim card for many years and had linked it to his account at Union Bank of India’s BVK Iyengar Road branch.
On September 22, 2015, Kumar checked his email to find that an unknown beneficiary had been added to his online bank account. By the time he could alert bank authorities about the breach, the fraudsters managed to transfer Rs 9,62,700 from his account. The sim card on his cellphone that was supposed to receive a one-time password (OTP) mysteriously remained de-activated all the while.
With neither the Union Bank of India nor BSNL acting towards compensating his loss for months, Kumar approached the Bangalore urban 2nd additional district consumer disputes redressal forum on May 5, 2016 to reclaim his money.
The consumer forum heard the case in which BSNL and Union Bank of India blamed each other for facilitating the fraud. BSNL claimed it is only a service provider and wasn’t aware that Kumar had linked his cellphone number to his bank account, and that it was the bank’s responsibility to notify him immediately when there was a fraudulent attempt. The bank argued that a BSNL customer centre executive in KG Road was at fault for issuing a duplicate sim card to a fraudster who pretended to be Kumar, deactivated his existing sim card and obtained a replacement.
After 31 months of hearing, the court blasted BSNL and Union Bank of India for the loss their customer suffered. The judges pointed to the BSNL staffer’s carelessness in issuing a duplicate sim and deactivating Kumar’s original sim. They criticised Union Bank of India authorities for not immediately alerting the customer on the illegal addition of a beneficiary, which he came to know through an official email.
In a verdict pronounced last month, the forum ordered BSNL Bengaluru telecom district and Union Bank of India, BVK Iyengar Road branch, to jointly refund Rs 9,62,700 to Kumar with interest and an additional Rs 10,000 towards his court expenses within 45 days.
What is it
Fraudsters, armed with confidential bank details of customers, deactivate sim cards linked to bank accounts by impersonating the victims and submitting fake documents with cellphone service providers and obtaining duplicate sims. The original sims on the victims’ phones get deactivated in the process. The active duplicate sims with the fraudsters receive OTPs and other bank communications, enabling illegal online transfers of large sums of money, while the victims remain clueless.


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A study on Glyphsate in 14 of the most popular beers in Germany conducted by the Munich Environmental Institute found this year 80% less of the broad-spectrum herbicide than the year before. While last year an average of 7.6 micrograms of glyphosate was measured in one liter of beer, this year the contamination was reduced to 1.7 micrograms in average. The institute acknowledged that “apparently the breweries tested have done their homework."
Still, the highest value in one of the 14 recently analyzed beers was 5.1 micrograms, which is 50 times higher than the limit of 0.1 microgram per liter for glyphosate in drinking water in Germany. Currently there are no legal limits for glyphosate in beer in Germany.
Critics argue that the limit for drinking water is not relevant for beer because it does not reflect a harmful limit to human health but rather the limit of analytical determination. Since drinking water in Germany is generally one of the less contaminated beverages, applying the lowest possible threshold has never been a problem. Beer, which is produced from malted grain and hops will inevitably always show higher values for pesticides and herbicides like other food made from grain like bread or pasta.
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), a scientific agency of the Federal Republic of Germany which is responsible for preparing expert reports and opinions on food and feed safety as well as on the safety of substances and products, released on Friday an assessment on the findings of the Munich based independent consumer association. The paper with the title “Assessment of glyphosate content in beer” states that “residues of glyphosate in beer are plausible from a scientific point of view and can be expected in principle, since glyphosate is an authorized plant protection product for cereals, whereby residues in beer are allowed up to the limit for cereals taking into account a processing factor.”
The BfR and the president of its executive committee Professor Dr. Dr. Andreas Hensel come to the conclusion that “in order to absorb a harmful quantity of glyphosate, an adult would have to drink about 1000 liters of beer a day. Glyphosate contents of 30 micrograms per liter of beer and below, like the ones presently measured do not pose a health risk on the basis of current scientific knowledge.”
The use of glyphosate is highly controversial. In 2015 the World Health Organization (WHO) said that glyhosate was “probably carcinogenic to humans”. One year later a co-analysis by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Health Organisation found that the chemical was “unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet”.
Earlier in March this year, European Chemical Agency (ECHA) declared glyphosate for safe, saying that it sees no cancer risk in glyphosate (inside.beer, 15.3.2017). Also Australia last year permitted the use of glyphosate on barley but only for feed and not for malting purposes (inside.beer, 5.11.2016). As of July 7, glyphosate was again listed as cancer-causing in California under state law (inside.beer, 27.6.2017).
In June last year, the extension of the controversial herbicide glyphosate approval in the EU had failed and only a provisional approval was given for the following 18 months. In mid-May this year the EU Commission announced that it would enter again into discussions with the Member States on extending the authorization by another ten years.


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In a matter of weeks, the coronavirus pandemic changed many things in the world from our lifestyle to industries’ working habits.
The pandemic has taught unforgettable lessons to the business world. This particularly applies to the fast fashion sector, since excess amounts of clothing items and fashion accessories have been left in stores and warehouses.
What problems have arisen in the fashion industry from this crisis?
The pandemic has completely changed consumers' lives, through the establishment of a quarantine regime across the world, which have kept stores closed. From suppliers to retailers in fast fashion, all have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"As you’re sat at home and you’re not going out to events, to dinners, restaurants, into work, the need for clothes – or really the opportunity to buy – just isn’t there," BFC chief executive Caroline Rush said in an interview on Euronews Now.
Those goods that had already been produced and ready to go in-store sales before the quarantine measures resulted in a large number of unwanted clothes in inventories. Once the goods have passed their ‘prime time’ to sell, the goods are typically marked down.
Two of the largest fast fashion retailers, H&M and Inditex (Zara’s parent company), closed the majority of their stores due to the pandemic. Cotton prices fell to a 15 year low.
What might be a good lesson for the industry is to become more eco-friendly down the line. There is a great opportunity to try and reset the entire supply chain.
Evolution of the impact of COVID-19 in the Global Fashion Industry
Here is a brief timeline of developments in the global fashion industry prior to and during the pandemic:
31 January 2020 Levi’s shut half of the stores in China amid the epidemic; this was the beginning of the “inventory crisis”.
5 February 2020 Nike closed half of its stores in China amid the epidemic.
7 February 2020 an apparel giant (VF Corp) closed 60% of its stores all over China to mitigate the spread of the virus.
13 February 2020 PHV closed the majority of its Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger stores across China.
20 February 2020 Adidas’ sales in China dropped by 85% and decided to close a significant number of its stores there.
18 March 2020 inventory crisis in Inditex the owner of Zara and Bershka has reported 287,000,000 Euros inventory charge as the sales dropped dramatically after the COVID-19 outbreak.
30 March 2020, World Trade Organization announced an extreme decline in global trade and consumption.
31 March 2020, H&M announced that they will pay and deliver goods that had already been cancelled but manufactured by suppliers.
1 April 2020, European textile and apparel sector faced 50% decline in sales
7 April 2020, PHV (Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger) offset fallout from the store closures all over North America and Europe through reduced inventory commitments.
9 April 2020, 31% of the orders cancelled according to the International Textile Manufacturers Federation.
15 May 2020, US retail sales dropped twice compared to March.
21 May 2020, British Fashion Council called fashion companies to “slow down” and rethink the way they used to produce after COVID-19 pandemic.
All these updates show how the pandemic affected the industry and alarmed the fast fashion practices.
Even as stores start to re-open, with mask wearing and long queues, the likelihood is that a lot of shoppers are less likely to flock to stores.
According to The Seam’s survey, ‘45% people said that during this pandemic, they learned that they need less stuff in order to be happy’.
How “inventory crisis” effects the environment?
About two months ago we discussed in one of our blog posts about the new law in France (France's fight against clothing waste), why it was put into place and its scope. The reason why this law came into discussion and was officially approved is because many fast fashion companies are destroying their unsold items which remain in their inventory. Those unsold items go either into the landfills or they are burned. This situation basically leads to the pollution in landfills as well as the atmosphere.
The same will most likely happen to those items that remained in the inventories after the COVID-19 crisis. The fashion industry has already been responsible for 10% of global annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
With the coronavirus outbreak, BFC's Caroline Rush made the further statements about the situation:
“My optimism is, as we go through this, that we really think about the inventory challenge that we’re facing for this season, and use that as a unique opportunity to really think down the line: what will happen to that stock, where will it go…”
Our “Why the fashion industry needs to change after this crisis is over” post can explain further about the issues caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Cancelled events have an impact on textile waste
Many events were cancelled because of the COVID-19 outbreak, but how could this contribute to textile waste? Well, a significant amount of the merchandise made for those events have gone to waste, from tote bags to t-shirts.
How does Kleiderly help to reduce fashion waste?
As Caroline Rush said, recycling and re-inventing will be the solution for the industry and our planet, and this is simply what Kleiderly does. At Kleiderly is convert textile waste into a very innovative multi-purpose material.
We are partnering with fashion brands and charity organizations to collect their waste clothing. After this global crisis, it would be a good opportunity for fashion brands as well as event hosts to efficiently manage the overflowing waste in their inventory.
To discover more about Kleiderly and the posts like this check out our website and blog.


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Travel services company CallUma is to roll out its luggage tracking technology across all Manchester Airports Group gateways after a successful trial.
The results of the Tag ‘n’ Traq pilot were released at the same time as Barry Bester, founder and non-executive chairman of Manchester-based Topps Tiles, was named executive chairman of the company, replacing non-executive chairman Chris Pavlovsky.
Chief executive Tony Partridge said: “Barry brings to us his experience in rolling out chains as we prepare for our expansion.”
Tag ‘n’ Traq is designed to allow passengers to easily track where their luggage has gone astray by means of a personalised code number printed on each tag.
The tag includes an international phone number which allows baggage handlers to quickly get lost luggage reunited with its owner.
Over the 40-day trial at Manchester Airport, 5,000 each people paid £2.50 for the service.
The Tag ‘n’ Traq system will now be rolled out to East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside airports as well as at Manchester.
Mr Partridge said: “We are looking at displaying the tags in vending machines across the group’s airports.” The company is already producing ‘white label’ versions of Tag ‘n’ Traq for, among other people, the Manchester United travel club.


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Before divorcing couples in New Jersey can be sure that they are dividing marital property fairly and equitably, they must first know that the list of assets is complete. Hiding assets before and during a divorce proceeding is not a new phenomenon, but modern technology sometimes develops new avenues that spouses might use to stash away money.
Investors have been trading digital cryptocurrencies via online exchanges for over 10 years, according to Bankrate.com. However, after bitcoin entered the mass public awareness a few years ago, using cryptocurrency to hide cash may be growing in popularity among dishonest spouses.
Using cryptocurrency to hide assets
Cryptocurrency exists solely in the virtual world, operates outside of financial institutions and is largely unregulated by governments. Additionally, the blockchain technology used to trade digital currency relies on anonymously encrypted transactions that can be very difficult to trace. Since laws that could regulate the handling of cryptocurrency during divorce proceedings are not yet enacted, some will likely continue to believe that it is the perfect way to hide money from their partners.
Locating cryptocurrency among marital assets
The New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants outlines that even though tracing cryptocurrency activity can be tricky, it is not impossible. Some factors may determine if hidden cryptocurrency assets exist and help uncover the means to track them:
- Knowledgeability and fluency in current technologies
- Previous ownership or use of digital currency in personal or business practices
- Access to financial records and electronic devices
Issuing subpoenas are not always effective because there is no third party agent, and many digital exchanges are foreign-based. Still, tech-savvy forensic accountants can often find evidence of cryptocurrency transactions through the public blockchain or by examining tax returns, bank records and net worth statements.